What do you do when your palate outgrows Peeps? It’s hard to believe the sweet, little yellow chicks — a staple in every Easter basket my kids ever got — are way too sugary for me now. Still love the jelly beans, but dyed marshmallow animals hidden in green plastic grass just doesn’t make me clap my hands in delight anymore.

So if our taste buds now lean toward more grown-up fare for Easter, how do we get from bunnies to, say, beignets? I’ve been contemplating what to cook for my family for weeks. The fact that my son has been ordering mussels in white wine since he was 3 and my daughters used chopsticks before they could ride bikes probably means they’ll be expecting something a little more sophisticated for Easter dinner.

My solution is to leave the cooking and baking to Vincent Dene and his staff at Aleo Italian Specialties in Lincroft. This tiny shop is crammed with so much food, it’s hard to maneuver when it’s crowded — and from what I can tell, it’s usually crowded. Not to worry, the people are nice and helpful, and you can gawk over the 40-plus dishes in the display case while you wait.

But let’s start with Easter. The menu is online and it’s requested you call soon to place your order. At print time, Dene did not have prices ready for entrees, but the list includes crown roasts, fresh or spiral hams, stuffed pork loins, veal roasts, legs of lamb, prime rib roasts and more. When it comes to veggies, Aleo’s is known for huge stuffed artichokes ($6.99 each) and stuffed mushrooms (sold in portions, or half or full pans).

Side dishes are traditional Italian Easter specialties, such as pizza rustica ($8.99 per pound; sausage, meat, egg and cheese pie); potato and mozzarella pie ($12.99), and superb sweet potato pie topped with candied walnuts ($12.99). Do you like struffoli? Aleo’s are first rate. Somehow, the little fried dough balls stay soft inside, and it’s so much fun to pull them apart after they’ve been shaped into a mountain and glazed with honey, cinnamon and nonpareils ($14.99).

Dene opened Aleo’s more than a decade ago after friends urged him to cook for the public in his own store. His grandfather, Pasquale, had a restaurant in Little Italy decades ago, and Dene hung out there as much as possible; he took to cooking like a duck to water.

He makes his own pasta and ravioli by hand, and you can buy it regular or gluten-free, fresh from the fridge or frozen. There are also several sauces — everything is made in-house — including soups, fresh grated Parmesan or Romano, salad dressings, marinades and good, aged Italian cheeses.

There are also shelves filled with Italian-imported groceries and the prices are moderate.

Easter's traditional pizza rusticaEd Murray/The Star-Ledger

In the cold case, there’s everything you could want for dinner, including homemade potato knishes ($3.99 each), though I have no idea why. Sautéed escarole ($8.99 per pound) has just the right amount of fresh garlic; the orzo salad has olives, green beans, sun-dried tomatoes marinated in a slightly sweet sauce ($7.99 per pound). There are giant meat-stuffed peppers ($5.99 each); chicken Aleo with smoked mozzarella and prosciutto in a white wine and garlic sauce ($7.99 per pound); really good meatballs ($5.99 per pound); and balsamic chicken with bell peppers, sun-dried tomatoes in a reduced balsamic and Marsala sauce ($7.99 per pound).

Don’t miss the miss Dene's version of eggplant tapanade or the excellent house-made mozzarella ($8.99 per pound).

If you’re thinking about breaking out the grill, Aleo’s has sirloin burgers, bruschetta burgers and chicken burgers with peppers and onions ($4.99 per pound). If you want someone else to cook, Aleo’s brings its own chef and grill to you, specializing in pig roasts, barbecue packages and paella parties.

There’s way too much food to single out any more dishes, but do try the homemade bread sticks, garlic toasts, pepper biscuits, taralli, flatbreads, Reggiano toasts and wine biscuits.

A few doors up from the deli is Aleo’s Pizza and Pasta. There are 20 to 30 varieties of pies, and if you like mascarpone cheese, don’t miss it on pizza with spinach and artichokes.

I almost walked by Aleo’s as I was killing time a few weeks ago. I had no idea it existed, but the smell of good food drew me in. Now, I’m letting Dene cook our Easter dinner and I’m even going to go for their pastries as dessert. As for baskets, the big bunny still makes house calls every year. Only now, he leaves chocolate-shop treats and the green plastic grass has made way for linen-lined wicker baskets. Still, you have to believe. Who knows? Peeps may once again make an appearance.

"Taste of New Jersey" appears every other week in Savor and at nj.com/entertainment/dining. Please send news of your favorite finds with your name and telephone numbers to Savor, "Taste of New Jersey," The Star-Ledger, 1 Star-Ledger Plaza, Newark, N.J. 07102 E-mail Brooke Tarabour at tasteofnj@starledger.com.